The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 79

[Remnants of Thunder Tribulation has activated.]

“Keuk!”

Jae-Hyeok swung his sword a few times before groaning, unable to stand it. He impatiently pulled off his gauntlets with trembling hands. I’m not mentally strong enough to endure more. Fifteen seconds is the limit.

Remnants of Thunder Tribulation was truly a terrible curse. The lightning from the gauntlets had raged through his body as if to cook him from the inside out, making the pain unbearable.

[Chivalry of Bravery and Honor: One Who Struck Down Thunder]

You have proved your bravery and earned honor by fighting against a natural disaster.

* The skill, Thunderbolt Sword, is unlocked.

* Reduces the power of the thunder tribulation in half when experiencing a thunder tribulation.

* Increase resistance to the lightning attribute by 30%.

* Increase affinity to the lightning attribute by 30%.

There is also another 10% resistance from Traces of Thunder Tribulation. In total, Jae-Hyeok’s lightning resistance had reached 40%. Nevertheless, he could only last fifteen seconds against Remnants of Thunder Tribulation—the curse’s potency was unquestionable.

No wonder Blake mistook him for the Thunder Emperor. After all, he had endured the curse for a few seconds in front of him, which would shock anyone who understood the curse’s power.

Haas Blake tested the Remnants of Thunder Tribulation on himself, which was how he knew to warn me? Hmm. He’s indeed worthy of being an S-class player.

He was actually still alive after that?

Jae-Hyeok laughed and equipped a round shield and a gorgeous earring with a green gemstone. These were the other items he’d obtained for free alongside Traces of Thunder Tribulation.

[Earring of Confusion]

[Rating: Legendary

Every time the earring shakes, there is a moderate probability of confusing targets within a one-meter radius.

* Reduces the cooldown time of Skills by 10%.

* The wearer is also subject to confusion.]

[Heavy Moon]

[Rating: Legendary

Fully absorbs the shock when blocking attacks.

There is a 1 minute cooldown time.

* The Stamina stat is increased by 20.

* Every time the item is in cooldown, the user will be cursed, unable to move.

* The shield cannot be unequipped while immobilized.]

Both items would be classified as garbage from a normal player’s point of view.

First, there was the Earring of Confusion, which consisted of an elongated green jewel hanging from the end of a finger-length gold cord. Any vigorous movement caused a loud clatter, and the green jewel could swing into the wearer’s field of view at any time, which was dangerous because it confused anyone within one meter who looked at it. As a result, the earring was more dangerous for the wearer than for the enemy.

It was a rare cooldown reduction item, so it made sense that it was legendary rated, but... Normally, people wouldn’t use it even if it were given for free.

It was the same for Heavy Moon—a small, rounded shield blue of color.

It was very good in terms of performance. It was inherently difficult for a shield to absorb the shock of an attack completely. Normally, certain attacks rendered defense useless depending on their form or power, but Heavy Moon could absorb the shock of any attack once it was stopped, so the legendary rating was convincing.

However, Heavy Moon’s shock absorption could be used only once per minute. And the truly fatal disadvantage was that the wearer became immobile once the effect was activated. Moreover, while immobilized, the wearer couldn’t unequip the shield. In other words, it was impossible to break the immobilization using any tricks, and the flexibility to switch between equipment was lost.

In trying to save their own life, the wearer would drive themselves to the edge of a cliff. Just like the Earring of Confusion, Heavy Moon was trash that others wouldn’t use even if it were given out freely.

Yet, for Jae-Hyeok, things were different. He wouldn’t be immobilized when Heavy Moon’s effect was activated, and thanks to that, it could be unequipped.

Even so, Jae-Hyeok faced a different problem.

[Curse of the Dead Snake is activated!]

[The curse resistance has failed.]

“......!”

Poisoning, Blindness, Paralysis, Necrosis—All sorts of abnormal conditions occurred, and terrible pain came rushing in all at once.

Jae-Hyeok collapsed without being able to scream. He slowly recovered only after removing the White Snake's Bracelet.

Two is the limit.

[Your body and mind are of a high standard after repeatedly enduring and overcoming the limits.]

[You can resist low-level status abnormalities.]

Jae-Hyeok had overcome his limits for three thousand days in a row and grown beyond the normal capabilities of a human. This meant he could resist a certain amount of status conditions on his own—

[A knight’s mental strength is firmly trained, so you can resist most status conditions and endure pain well.]

—Add to that the effect of the Initial Skill, Noble Chivalry, and Jae-Hyeok could resist most status conditions.

However, being resistant was not the same thing as being immune. That was why he couldn’t suppress Remnants of Thunder Tribulation. And it was also why he couldn’t equip three or more cursed items.

It’s impossible to resist a high-level status condition or multiple status conditions at once.

Perhaps things would change later; after all, the higher the level of Noble Chivalry, the stronger his resistance to status conditions. However, that wasn’t the case right now.

I’m glad I didn’t pick too many items unnecessarily.

Blake had told Jae-Hyeok that he could take all the items, but he had only taken three. The most outstanding item among Blake’s items was a rapier, but it was inferior to Iyarugt, and the rest of the items were less practical than Earring of Confusion and Heavy Moon, so Jae-Hyeok had abandoned his greed, instead choosing to leave Blake feeling indebted to him.

He remembered the face of the middle-aged man crying emotionally while waiting for his body to recover. Once he had, he wore the white gauntlets once again.

He used Two Scythes Block a Cart.

Flash!

A thunderbolt struck from the sky.

* When using a Skill, there is a very high chance that Traces of Thunder Tribulation will become excited and cause a thunderbolt to descend.

He had been prepared in advance for the curse to incite a thunderbolt, but it was still too fast.

Bang!

A bright yellow thunderbolt struck Jae-Hyeok before he could pull back his sword after using Two Scythes Block a Cart.

-A-are you okay?

The lion statue exclaimed.

-You come to me late at night and are repeatedly hurting yourself. What the hell are you doing?

“En, sorry to worry you.”

-You... you laugh despite almost dying just now.

“I’m laughing because I didn’t die.”

Jae-Hyeok took off the gauntlets, poured a potion on his burned shoulders, and closed his eyes quietly.

I’ve been given a tremendous gift, he thought.

...The frightening curse of the thunder tribulation—how many people in the world wanted to experience being struck by thunder tribulation thunderbolts while suffering from Remnants of Thunder Tribulation? Except for me and the Thunder Emperor.

Jae-Hyeok’s lightning resistance was 40%. He was able to hold out against Remnants of Thunder Tribulation, so he also wouldn’t die from a single thunder-tribulation thunderbolt. In the first place, it was less powerful compared to the real thunder tribulation.

Thanks to Noble Chivalry, I might be able to survive two shots if I avoid being struck in any weak spots.

Jae-Hyeok’s heart was pounding. He was immensely happy that he could summon the thunder tribulation whenever he wanted, laying the foundation for him to study and adapt to it.

He grinned and the lion statue looked at him like he was a madman.

-This guy has become even crazier after being struck by lightning.

***

I need to obtain a lot of potions.

Jae-Hyeok staggered as he walked, looking severely ragged.

He had trained all night for the first time in a while. After getting struck by the thunder tribulation a few times, his body couldn’t really hold on any longer.

It was exhausting but very rewarding. Trying to defend and avoid a thunderbolt that came at a speed difficult for humans to realize was rare training in itself. I want Da-Hee and Do-Jin to experience it, Jae-Hyeok thought.

He didn’t realize how crazy he sounded, wanting his friends to experience thunder tribulation.

“Um?”

Jae-Hyeok was moving through the bushes when he suddenly stopped in place.

It was Park Hae-Rin. That girl, always silently working hard, was sitting in a small clearing—her back straight, her shoulders perfectly square. Based on the way the blown leaves were piled up around her, it looked as if she had been meditating for a long time. It was nice to see that her posture wasn’t broken at all.

She meditates well.

Park Hae-Rin was rare in that she’d given him a good first impression.

When Jae-Hyeok had first arrived at the school, Kim Jin-Myeong and the other students had shown hostility, but she had gently calmed the atmosphere. In addition, she was always outstanding in class and training. She had no flaws and was the only student in Class B whom Jae-Hyeok had never kicked or criticized. As an unintended consequence, that also meant he didn’t feel as close to her. Uh, that’s probably why this feels a little awkward.

Jae-Hyeok worried he would disturb her and was about to leave quietly when he heard something.

“You’re practicing mana control instead of shield techniques?” A boy emerged from the bushes on the other side and plopped down beside Park Hae-Rin.

“......” Park Hae-Rin silently opened her eyes. She had large, vivid pupils, and her eyes had an upward slant. It was surprising that she could look fierce with such eyes.

“Are you that hesitant to let your hard-earned Initial Skill go to waste?” the boy asked.

“Sorry.”

“You don't have to apologize to me. However, the master will be humiliated if the successor of the prestigious Guardian Guild fails to handle a shield properly. It will be embarrassing for your parents and the other guild members, too. Only I understand you, but you still need to be aware of your position.”

“...I don’t want to be the successor.”

“Yes, I know.” The boy smiled gently as he carefully brushed the dirt off Park Hae-Rin’s skirt. “But you are Master’s only child. I’ve told you since we were young that it’s your duty to follow in Master’s footsteps.”

“......”

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll handle what you don’t like, so hang in there. My parents will also help. Believe in me.”

After hesitating for a moment, Hae-Rin nodded helplessly. “Yes.”

“Good. The night air is cold, so go back to your room. My heart will hurt if you can’t sleep and your fine skin is damaged.”

Listening from a third-person perspective, Jae-Hyeok found the boy’s way of speaking to be slightly unpleasant. He was always reminding Park Hae-Rin that her every action would impact someone.

Hae-Rin left, pushed away by the boy’s persistence. “...Hah, grumbling like a child every time.” The boy withdrew his gentle smile and showed his true colors. “I’m damn tired of living with her. I’m glad she has a decent appearance, at least.”

“Hmm.”

Jae-Hyeok leaned on a tree and reflected on their conversation.

Park Hae-Rin... she isn’t a tank?

That was nice to hear.

Follow current novels on (f)reew𝒆bnovel